Entrepreneurship, leadership, and growth are often glamorized in ways that ignore the emotional reality behind them. We celebrate wins, milestones, and momentum, but rarely talk about the moments in between: the ones where you feel overwhelmed, uncertain, exhausted, or quietly wonder whether you can keep doing what you’re doing.
The truth is that every business owner, executive, and leader encounters those moments. Fear, doubt, frustration, and fatigue are not signs of weakness; they are part of being human. They are part of carrying responsibility, taking risks, and trying to build something meaningful.
Not long ago, I was speaking with my friend and colleague in the Manufacturing Resource Group, Filip Zolota, and he shared two simple phrases he relies on during difficult seasons: “It’s a freaking moment” and “Just a little bit more.” Those words struck me immediately. I wrote them down, and I have returned to them often since.
What he gave me in that conversation was more than advice. He gave me perspective.
The first phrase (“It’s a freaking moment”) is a reminder that no challenge, no setback, and no season of struggle is permanent. When you are in the middle of a difficult quarter, dealing with operational issues, losing sleep over payroll, navigating uncertainty, or questioning whether the sacrifices are worth it, it can feel all-consuming. But it is still a moment. Not your identity. Not your future. Not the entirety of your business story. Just a moment. This, too, shall pass. And, in all honesty, I don’t even remember what the “moment” or challenge was that I was sharing with him at the time that seemed so big and insurmountable.
The second phrase (“Just a little bit more”) speaks to the reality that most success in business does not come from dramatic breakthroughs or singular heroic efforts. It comes from persistence. It comes from making one more call, following up one more time, refining one more process, pushing through one more difficult day, and continuing forward when the easier option would be to stop. Baby steps. One foot in front of the other.
There is a misconception in business that strong leaders are somehow immune to doubt or exhaustion. They are not. Strong people still have difficult days. Strong people still feel fear. Strong people still need encouragement, perspective, and community. In fact, the strongest leaders often recognize that resilience is not built in isolation; it is reinforced by the people around us who remind us who we are when we temporarily forget.
This is especially true in the early years of building a business, when uncertainty is high, resources are limited, and every decision carries weight. It is easy to feel like everyone else has it figured out while you are simply trying to keep momentum moving forward. The reality is that most successful people have stood in that same place many times before.
If you are in one of those seasons right now, personally or professionally, consider this your reminder that difficult moments do not define you. They refine you. What feels overwhelming today may eventually become the chapter that taught you endurance, discipline, humility, and grit.
Sometimes, the only thing required is to remind yourself that it is a moment, and then keep going just a little bit more. Thank you to Filip for sharing words that were too valuable not to pass along. Just put one foot in front of the other. Baby steps.